I think that it is crazy to be talking about Caroline making the semis (or even the quarters). She hasn't been in the quarters of a slam since January, 2012. Since that time she has played six slams and won just seven matches, now people are talking about her winning five matches in a single slam? Sure, on paper her draw looks favourable but she is still extremely inconsistent. If she plays at or near her best she has a chance to go fairly deep but it seems very unlikely that she can play good/great tennis in four or five consecutive matches.

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It's more hard to love than it is to hate

I dont think she was outplayed except after 2-2 set 1.
2nd set was very winnable.
This is New Haven, where she never lost, so it sounds bad that she lost to Halep. If it was Kvitova or Li it would sound better.
The end of that 2nd set is something her incompetent adidas team should study. She has to stop giving away big points.

Billie jean king says part of being great in tennis is to make good decisions. Losing key points on overheads near the net makes Caro look like she's never had any tennis coaching, ever

But was it winnable because anything Caro was doing (it's debatable whether it was actually winnable at all). Halep completely gifted Caro games from up a break in the 2nd with something like 7-8 ue in 2 games losing them very quickly. She always felt the better player, and always felt if she stepped into gear she would take it comfortably. The 2nd set flattered how Caro actually played imo.

I don't think it sounds that bad that she lost to Halep if you consider where she is with her game. This is just her level now, she wasn't just going to turn up to New Haven and magically turn the clock back 3 years. This was never going to be an easy match, and it wasn't.

You cant keep hitting near the lines without missing some. Its impossible, unless you're Sharapova or Serena on their good day.

I love this draw and she's playing good enough. Her best 2010 form, she still lost to Zvonareva. I like her chances here just as well
If Caro did win that 2nd set, she looked tired anyway. If she won the 3rd and played a tough final, who knows if her body could have handled that.
5 matches right before this draw? Dangerous

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You cant keep hitting near the lines without missing some. Its impossible, unless you're Sharapova or Serena on their good day.

I love this draw and she's playing good enough. Her best 2010 form, she still lost to Zvonareva. I like her chances here just as well
If Caro did win that 2nd set, she looked tired anyway. If she won the 3rd and played a tough final, who knows if her body could have handled that.
5 matches right before this draw? Dangerous

But Halep wasn't really beating Caro by hitting lines, she hit some lines yes, but it was controlled aggression that was allowing her to dominate the match. This wasn't Kvitova of Wimbledon 2010 just hitting everything and it landing in. The misses she made were more down to losing concentration than low margin for error. This is to be expected, after all if Halep could keep the level up she was displaying at times in this match she would be ranked higher than she is. Like I said the biggest worry coming out of this match has to be the game Halep played is the game Caro is trying to play.

On your last point if we're worried about being tired for grand slams, then she shouldn't be entering New Haven full stop (I don't think this is a major concern at this point though).

She loves New Haven. Caro had a bad day near the net. At least 4 points where weekend hackers could win the point.
The first was at 30-30 in game 1. The last that overhead that was comical.
So it was Caro who was gifting key points.

But I saw her last 3 matches and its close to IW form (take out those net errors from this loss).

I'm a big believer in draws. I never thought Fran or Bartoli proved much by beating some players that if Caro beat them it would be called vulturing. Fran hung around and what happened? She playing like a Hall of Famer because she won a fluke-draw major?
This is the right draw, right major, and she's playing well.
Lets do this!

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter....
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit thereEnjoy This Moment!!
HEALTH and HAPPINESS to EVERYONE

She loves New Haven. Caro had a bad day near the net. At least 4 points where weekend hackers could win the point.
The first was at 30-30 in game 1. The last that overhead that was comical.
So it was Caro who was gifting key points.

But I saw her last 3 matches and its close to IW form (take out those net errors from this loss).

I'm a big believer in draws. I never thought Fran or Bartoli proved much by beating some players that if Caro beat them it would be called vulturing. Fran hung around and what happened? She playing like a Hall of Famer because she won a fluke-draw major?This is the right draw, right major, and she's playing well.
Lets do this!

I find it so frustrating that Caro can't put away easy shots in points that she controlled and should have won. I know Halep made great passing shots to win those points where up till then she was on the back foot. But those were points Caro should have put away. Of course the worst of the lot was that horrible miss at the end of her last service game in the 2nd set which she just had to smash away. If I could pick only one single aspect on Caro's play why that match got away - that would be it.

Also - I think she started improving at the net 2 years ago and has now got worse. I remember her making some really good volleys on balls she was passed from Halep. I still think she should play some doubles.

I think that it is crazy to be talking about Caroline making the semis (or even the quarters). She hasn't been in the quarters of a slam since January, 2012. Since that time she has played six slams and won just seven matches, now people are talking about her winning five matches in a single slam? Sure, on paper her draw looks favourable but she is still extremely inconsistent. If she plays at or near her best she has a chance to go fairly deep but it seems very unlikely that she can play good/great tennis in four or five consecutive matches.

I agree. But I'm not a fan of predictions and talking about easy draws anyway. Never have been.

I agree. But I'm not a fan of predictions and talking about easy draws anyway. Never have been.

Me neither, but there are draws that make you think, "shit. Why has this or that player have to be in her section for crying out loud." This is not one of those draws. That doesn't mean that it's going to be a cakewalk. DIAH is right. Considering her track record of the last two years she's in danger of going out in every round no matter who she plays and I'll be as worried about that Chinese qualifier in the first round as I would be if she was to face a top 10 player. BUT there's nobody she has to play before the QF against who she'll be the underdog. That means that there's an opportunity there to go deep in this tournament. That doesn't mean that she'll be able to take that opportunity, but it's there. And that's sorta exciting. I'm always excited at the start of a big event anyway, but it's been awhile since I've been this excited for Caroline. She's playing some decent ball again (watch the Sloane match if you haven't seen it yet), she's got a good draw (regardless of whether we believe in such things or not), she's playing with her favorite stick and it's at the major where she has the best track record. If she can't make a decent run now, well, when will she? She's got less time than some think. Things will only get harder as the likes of Stephens, Bouchard, Keys, Robson, Halep(?), etc get older and better.

Look at it this way - Besides Serena & Venus, no one in this draw won more than 2 majors.
Fran won one.
So winning a major is not a sign that you are one of the best players in a draw.
Majors are very draw orientated, who wins, when the great players dont win them.

This draw to the semis is arguably the softest Caro was ever in.
So I dont see anything wrong with discussing it, its reality. If Caro was in a quarter with 4 or 5 tough players, my reaction would be different.
This is a great opportunity and no reason to not be positive
An injury or upset can happen, but chances are, she's going to have a big major. If things continue to break right in week 2, there's still a chance this is Caro's major.

I would never have thought that even a week ago.

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Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit thereEnjoy This Moment!!
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Look at it this way - Besides Serena & Venus, no one in this draw won more than 2 majors.
Fran won one.
So winning a major is not a sign that you are one of the best players in a draw.
Majors are very draw orientated, who wins, when the great players dont win them.

This draw to the semis is arguably the softest Caro was ever in.
So I dont see anything wrong with discussing it, its reality. If Caro was in a quarter with 4 or 5 tough players, my reaction would be different.
This is a great opportunity and no reason to not be positive
An injury or upset can happen, but chances are, she's going to have a big major. If things continue to break right in week 2, there's still a chance this is Caro's major.

I would never have thought that even a week ago.

Well I just think that's there's an opportunity for everyone - not just Caro. With Vika's serve problems, I wouldn't even be totally surprised if there was an upset and she got beaten early opening up her quarter. Earlier this year - I'd pencil in Serena, Masha and Vika and Aga and I'd be surprised if they got beaten and anyone else made it through. Now, the only player I'd be really surprised at if she lost is Serena. And yes - Caro's quarter is softer on paper - so a good opportunity for every player in that quarter.

But DIAH made the point in his post about Caro not showing she can string four or five wins together that I entirely agreed with. If you look at this year - Caro's problems haven't been the big names Vika, Masha and Serena. It's been about getting as far as reaching them. On the odd occasion that she has - it's the exception rather than the norm.

Incidentally - when you say So I don't see anything wrong with discussing it - I really hope you don't think I'm saying that. No way do I want to stop discussions on the subject or stop people expressing their views that I personally think are too optimistic. Just giving my own feelings. Actually I'm really a sort of one match at a time person who is just thrilled every match she wins but I get really down when she loses any match and it often stops me posting for a little while. I personally don't really even think about her making SF right now but that's just me.

On a separate but related topic - the other thing about easy draws though: I can just hear the chorus of winging posts about tennis losing and needing to be saved whatever that means and moaning and name-calling whoever makes it through. I have zero tolerance for any of those posts whatsoever whether it be Caro as a former USO finalist or Bartoli as Wimbledon champion or whoever.

She loves New Haven. Caro had a bad day near the net. At least 4 points where weekend hackers could win the point.
The first was at 30-30 in game 1. The last that overhead that was comical.
So it was Caro who was gifting key points.

But I saw her last 3 matches and its close to IW form (take out those net errors from this loss).

I'm a big believer in draws. I never thought Fran or Bartoli proved much by beating some players that if Caro beat them it would be called vulturing. Fran hung around and what happened? She playing like a Hall of Famer because she won a fluke-draw major?
This is the right draw, right major, and she's playing well.
Lets do this!

I think if Caro was tired it's probably due to having been sick earlier in the week. She likely wouldn't have her usual endurance and so playing multiple days in a row could take its toll.

Bad days at the net are common/typical for Caro.

Captain Matthew Gideon: I may have an idea.
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Captain Matthew Gideon: That would explain it.